Ring ring ring ring ring ring r-
"Hello? Maka here." Thank god Soul didn't punch the glass; he would have punched it to pieces. I bet he's pulling his punches and gritting his teeth right now. One thing he can't stand is the sound of a phone. There are a lot more things I could describe that annoyed him, but that would take up most of the story. You see, instead of using cellphones, the headmaster found it more effective if we used mirrors. We would create a fog on the glass and write the numbers. That way, we could see the person on the other line.
"Maka? It's me. Death wants to speak with the two of you. He states it's important."
"Yes, dad. I got it." My dad wasn't the greatest father. He never returned to his former self after he separated from mom. He was a happy, laid-back man who brightened anyone's day. He had deep, long red hair with sky blue eyes. He would wear a suit now and then since he worked as an assistant for Death, the headmaster. He would laugh out of nowhere and be the light of the party. But one day, mom was up and gone. My dad didn't really understand why she left him. He thought everything was fine, but I guess mom got tired of him and wanted to travel the world. After that, he went into some weird phase. He would rarely come home, and if he did, he would be too tired for dinner and leave in silence. I seldom even had a glance or nod. He tried using work as a distraction, but I guess it didn't work. He then started drinking and hanging out with women. I tried to understand his situation, but I was still young. After about a month, he stopped drinking and tried taking breaks from work, though he still stuck with women. From my prediction, it helped heal his broken heart. Once or twice, I would see him take a girl home. But now, he remembered my existence and always thought of me first. He would smile at me and pat my head as if I was still five. We would always eat dinner together and watch tv before we slept. He's become a little overprotective over the years, but that's understandable. I could hear him sigh and slightly smile over the mirror.
"Are you alright, sweetie?"
"Of course I am dad. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Is Soul there?"
"Yeah. Why? You want to talk to him?"
"No, it's fine. He doesn't seem to like me very much."
"Dad, no one likes someone interrogating or stalking them. It's kinda creepy." Dad's reflection chuckled in the glass. Suddenly, I heard some talking on the other side of the mirror.
"You working, dad?"
"You bet. I have to go now, sweetie."
"Go back to work dad."
"But sweetie, I need to hear my little girl every once in a while."
"Dad, I'm not that little anymore. You just called me two hours ago."
"Alright sweetie, you got me. I need to go now. But, before I forget, Death wants you to pick up Black Star and Tsubaki. Apparently, they're not picking up."
"Got it dad."
"Love you sweetie."
"Love you dad." His reflection then disappeared. I walked over to Soul who sat on the stairs, watching the smiling moon. His red eyes flashed to me as I made my way next to him under the streetlight.
"So, what's up?" Soul looked at me, but wasn't actually looking at me.
"Death wants to talk to us. We also have to find Black Star and Tsubaki."
"Did your dad give us a clue where they are?"
"Nope. They couldn't find him."
"So we have to do their job? That's just great."
"Let's just get it over with. They can't be too far."
Well, we never found them. We couldn't find them anywhere so we just gave up. We headed straight for our apartments after we found out that it was about two in the morning. I didn't even eat dinner or say good night to my dad. I had to wake up at seven tomorrow so I need all the sleep I can get. Unfortunately, Dad was up when I woke up and lectured me for staying up too late. I explained to him that we were trying to find Black Star and Tsubaki, but he found that as an excuse and grounded me for a week. He told me that I have to be back home by nine no matter what. He got even more pissed after he found out I never went to the headmaster. He grounded me for another week. Whippee.
As soon as I got to class, I banged my head against the wall. Five hours of sleep weren't enough. I bit my tongue and leaned against the wall near the door as I waited to tackle Black Star and Tsubaki. Because of them, I have two dark bags under my eyes. They were going to pay. Soul was thinking the same thing; he stacked a white chalkboard eraser over the door. He didn't look so great either.
"You look dead, Soul."
"You don't look so hot either."
"I can't believe they were gone all night!"
"I know. They're going down."
"They sure are going to pay."
"Now who's going to pay?" A foreign hand clasped my shoulder and shook it. I turned around to find a blue-haired boy with wide, black eyes. He had on a sleeveless black turtleneck and a star tattoo on his right arm. He was a funny guy, but he had a dark past. He was abandoned as a baby and was found on the doorstep of DWMA. He doesn't remember his parents, but he knows he's from the Star Clan from the tattoo. Even though he's an orphan, he always stayed positive and kept a smile on his face. His main goal in life: to become number one. He always wants to be the best and he doesn't want anyone in his way. Unluckily for him, I don't like to lose. If it wasn't for his determination, we might be good friends.
"We've been trying to look for you all night!" I hissed. "Where have you been?"
"In jail. Did you know that it's illegal to destroy buildings even though you're saving the day? The manager of the store sued me for braking his illuminated sign. I couldn't pay for it so he called the fuzz on me. I was stuck there for the whole day until Tsubaki bailed me out.
"Oh boy." Soul sighed behind me. "By the way, where is Tsubaki?"
"I'm right here." A soft voice spoken. Tsubaki was Black Star's partner. As a weapon, she could transform into a smokebomb, nunchuck, ninja stars, and knives. She had a lot of potential, but she preferred to stay with Black Star. She had long, black hair tied up to a high ponytail. She was tall and wore a dress with a star that was identical to Black Star's. She was like a mother to him, always following him around and caring for him. She was quiet, but nice.
"Why is your hair wet?" Soul asked.
"Some idiot felt like picking on Tsubaki today." Black Star held the used eraser in his hand. "Who would do something like that to her?"
"That was meant for you, retard." Soul whispered to himself as he looked down.
"So, why were you looking for us?" Tsubaki piped in. "There must be a reason."
"Death wants to talk to us. He says it's important."
"That's interesting." Black Star thought. "By the way, have you ever seen the headmaster?"
"Actually, no." The headmaster usually stood behind a curtain so we can't see him. We could only pick out his shadow.
"I heard he looks scary. I bet his appearance is so scary, he has to hide his face."
"Maybe, but we should be worrying more about what he's going to do to us. We were supposed to meet him yesterday."
"We were?"
"Yeah. We should go together after class."
"Great. I'll go-"
"Class! Take your seats!" Dr. Stein yelled. He was a gray-haired scientist with tired yellow eyes who traveled on a wheelchair. He had stitches around his face and wore a shirt and lab coat filled with stitches. But that wasn't the weirdest thing about him; he had a giant screw through his head that he twisted every time he wanted to think. He smoked and dissected anything he had his eyes on. There was this weird rumor that he experimented on my dad when he was asleep. Creepy. He was the best Meister back in the day, but now he works as our teacher and doctor at DWMA.
"We had a quiz two days ago and I think we all know who studied and who didn't." He held up two papers in his right hand while his other hand held a whole stack of papers. "This," He shook his left hand and lost the grip to the papers into the garbage can. "Is trash.These two passed with flying colors. Does anyone know who completed these quizzes?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Ox said with a proud smile. "It's me, of course!" Ox was this smart kid who bragged about his intelligence all the time. He has a bald head except for the spiky hairs against his sideburns. He wear these dorky glasses that make you dizzy just by looking at them and dresses like a nerd. This is DWMA, not high school. His bratty attitude brings me to the edge all the time. We are in constant wars to see who is the smartest in the class. So far, he's winning by one point.
"Why yes. Here's yours, Ox." Ox grabbed the sheet from him and concentrated on his answers. Suddenly, his heart sank.
"What do you mean I got 1 wrong!? That's impossible!" Ox whined. "I know exactly why we hunt Keshin eggs! It's to feed our weapons until they transform into the ultimate weapon!"
"Wrong! It's very clear why you're wrong, Ox. I don't think you know the real reason why you're here. Does anyone know the answer to his question?" I then raised my hand; this was just too easy. "Ah Maka. Would you care to explain?"
"Yes. We are here to protect, not to level up our weapon. When we aren't hunting Keshin eggs, human lives are in danger. It is our duty to defend all souls."
"Thatis the answer, my students." Dr. Stein then passed me my test with a 100% on my sheet. I guess Ox and I have a tie. Ox then shot me a look of vengeance; I gave it right back to him. "Another question most of you missed is this. A sound [blank] dwells within a [blank] [blank]. Does anyone know the answer to the question?" Both Ox and I raised our hands at the same time like rockets being shot in the air. We glared at each other for alongtime. "Okay, how about anyone other than those two? How about you, Soul?" Suddenly, we heard a bang on the table from across. All eyes met on Soul as he woke up from his nap. You could still see the drool hanging from his mouth and his eyes wavering.
"Wait...what are we talking about?" Soul muttered.
"While you were dozing off, we were talking about our quiz that you specifically failed. Fill in the blank: A sound [blank] dwells within a [blank] [blank]."
"Uhhh…" Soul replied. "A sound rumble dwells within a hungry stomach?" Dr. Stein slowly turned his head as the class giggled. He then walked up to Soul with a ruler and smacked him on the head. It was so loud that I bet the students from the other hall could hear it. Soul clasped his head as it started to drip blood down his forehead.
"No, you idiot. It's a sound soul dwells within a sound mind. That was the dumbest thing I've ever heard." He then snapped his head back to the class. "I have a meeting right now so right now we have class study." The whole class cheered up as he walked out the door. Before exiting, he grinned a smile that brought shivers through their backs. "As for homework, pair up with another team to fight a Kishin egg. I know what you're thinking so I made a list for your new partners. I made sure to pair the best students with the worst." He then laughed as they class booed. Suddenly, everyone got off their seats and ran to the lists; some cheered, but most of them complained. I felt bad for whoever had Ox on their team. After the mob disappeared, I stood up and walked over. I looked back and beckoned for Soul, but he was back to sleeping. I sighed and nodded my head. I skimmed for my name until I saw my name. I gulped; I was with Black Star and Tsubaki. I felt an arm wrap around my neck and a haughty laugh filled my ears.
"So, can I lead, partner?" Black Star laughed. I glanced at Soul for help, but I saw Tsubaki poking his head to wake him up. I remember why he was at the bottom of the class; he never followed the rules or did his homework. It was like dealing with another Soul. I have a bad feeling about this.